Hard water can wreak havoc on your plumbing system. It can also dry your skin and hair, alter the taste of your cooked food, and shorten the lifespans of your plumbing-connected appliances. At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, we supply and install high-quality water softeners. We also help our clients get the most from these important home additions. That’s why we’re sharing info on why and when to add salt to these systems.
Why Salt Is Important
Salt is a key element in the water-softening process. Your water softener extracts dissolved hard-water minerals like magnesium and calcium using resin beads. Following each water-softening cycle, your water softener refreshes its resin beads by cleaning them with salt. If you don’t add salt often enough, your water quality will decline.
General Recommendations for Adding Salt
In general, most water softeners require one 40-pound bag of salt or salt pellets every 30 days for optimum performance. This salt replacement schedule works well for most households with two to four people, average water use, and moderately hard water.
The Five Factors That Affect Your Salt Replacement Schedule
Ultimately, the best schedule for adding salt to a water softener is different for every model and household. Five factors determine which salt replacement schedule is best for you:
- Your water softener type
- How much water your household uses
- The size of your water softener’s brine tank
- Your water’s hardness
- The age and condition of your water softener
New water softeners are more efficient than older models. As water softeners age, they require more salt, more cycles, and more energy to get their jobs done. Many of the latest water softeners also offer on-demand water softening. As a result, they have fewer regeneration cycles and require less salt. If you have a relatively new water softener, you may need to add salt once every 60 days rather than every 30 days.
Dual-Tank Water Softeners
Another model-specific factor to consider when setting your salt replacement schedule is the number of tanks that your water softener has. All water softeners have at least two tanks: one resin tank and one brine tank. However, dual-tank water softeners have two resin tanks and one brine tank for a total of three.
These units can continue softening water during their regeneration cycles. They work well for homes with excessively hard water, higher-than-normal water use, and fluctuating nighttime schedules. While single-tank water softeners run timed regeneration cycles at night, dual-tank models offer on-demand regeneration. In homes with high water demand, some dual-tank systems may require more salt and more frequent salt replacement than single-tank models.
Signs You Aren’t Adding Salt Often Enough
It’s fairly easy to check salt levels in brine tanks. Simply lift the tank cover and look inside. If the tank is less than half-full, add salt until it’s just above the half-point. If the salt at the bottom of your brine tank is wet and clumped together or if water has risen above the salt line, you should add more salt and replace salt more often.
If you aren’t replacing salt often enough, your water quality will go down. You might notice spots on your dishes, mineral build-ups on your plumbing fixtures, and a significant change in your tap water’s taste and smell.
Signs You’re Adding Salt Too Often
Adding salt too often or adding too much salt at once can be problematic as well. Excess salt can cause problems like salt bridging. With salt bridging, salt forms hard, solid layers in brine tanks. Salt bridging can reduce water pressure and decrease performance. It can also cause unusual motor activity and loud noises during operation.
How to Set the Ideal Salt Replacement Schedule for Your Home
When your water softener is first installed, the best way to set your salt replacement schedule is by following the instructions listed in your manual and the recommendations of your plumber. Your manual will tell you what works best for your unit and your plumber will adjust this recommendation to suit the needs of your household.
Product manuals list model-specific recommendations for salt replacement according to water hardness. You can refer to the measurement of your water’s hardness in your most recent water quality test. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), hard water has 61 to 120 mg/L of dissolved minerals, and very hard water has 121 to 180 mg/L.
Over time, adjust your salt replacement schedule based on:
- Aging and age-related decreases in efficiency
- Changes in your household size
- The addition of new plumbing-connected appliances
- Plumbing system upgrades
During annual water softener maintenance, our team at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can also help you revise your salt replacement schedule as needed.